Cornerstones of history, Tennessee’s many beautifully restored architectural wonders illustrate our love of history and our strong focus on preservation.

Look into a graceful, early rural life at 1797 Ramsey House Plantation, with acreage, exhibits and an heirloom garden. Once considered “the most costly and most admired house in Tennessee,” it is among the few surviving houses designed by Tennessee’s first formally trained architect, Thomas Hope. Learn about the Overton legacy at 200-year-old Traveller’s Rest Plantation and Museum. Take in a reenactment as you tour the grounds, the home and the schoolhouse.

On the ancient grounds of Chucalissa, one can imagine the Native American settlement that once called Tennessee home. Climb the front steps of the Hermitage and be transported to the days of Andrew Jackson. Feel the magnitude of the Manhattan Project: Visit Oak Ridge and the Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Tennessee boasts a long and colorful history—one best told in the numerous historic sites and buildings spread across the state. Visit Sun Records; stand within the same walls that heard the first recordings of Elvis and Johnny Cash. Grab a bite to eat at Hoskins Drug Store and be sure to treat yourself to a refreshment from the old-fashioned 1940s soda fountain. Take a day to explore Tennessee’s first school, founded by Sam Houston, or school yourself in the history of the Scopes Trial with a visit to the Rhea County Courthouse.